It is known to use studded plates as supporting plates. They may be used as ordinary supporting plates, drainage plates, decoupling plates, or plaster plates for plastering or support for adhesive for tiles, for example when flooring with ceramic tiles.
All concrete floors which are laid directly on the ground contain moisture. Therefore, floor coverings such as wooden floors may not be placed directly on the concrete. Many years may be needed to dry out a concrete floor which is a slab on ground construction. The floor may also be affected by rising damp. Initially, all concrete floors contain residual moisture and the above problem therefore concerns cellars, basement floors, slab on ground floors and floors between different storeys of different types of concrete, including for example floors made of light expanded clay aggregate concrete and lightweight concrete, plaster based floors, floating floors, floating floors screed or flooring substitute, generally all floors which have the feature of curing or hardening by using water. The moisture in the concrete is often invisible and difficult to detect. This results in an unawareness of the risks such as rot, moisture damage etc. Without an effective damp proof membrane with sufficient performance characteristics, moisture from the concrete will for example attack wood materials from underneath. The same problem also concerns tiled floors wherein the filled joints will allow passage of moisture.
The result is damaged floors with swelling, mould and rot. In addition, hazardous mould spores, bad smell and a poor indoor environment may result.
Studded plates are used to prevent problems related to moisture in floors. To solve such problems, “passive” venting may be provided towards the room. The studded plates often comprise hollow studs with rounded, square or other cross-sections, i.e. the form of the circumference of the studs, with a diameter or transversal length from 5 to 55 mm and a height from 1 to 10 mm. The studs are often distributed in a diamond pattern or a check pattern providing adequate distribution of the loading as well as venting. The studs can advantageously be distributed over the plate with a distance between the studs from 1 to 10 mm. The studded plates are placed with the top of the studs facing downwards toward the base floor to obtain an air gap on the underside of the plate, between the studs.
The plates may be joined by sealing tape on the topside of the plates to obtain a sealed floor. In case of severe problems with moisture, smell or other emissions, the air gap beneath the studded plates may be ventilated mechanically in order to provide air flow over the concrete surface or substrate and create a negative pressure in relation to the room. A ventilated air gap may also contribute to the drying out of the concrete.
It is furthermore known to use studded plates as a membrane between a concrete substrate and tiles laid on such substrate. The concrete substrate is covered with studded plates. The studded plate is thereafter covered by a bonding adhesive on which the tiles are laid.
However, wooden floors are also used instead of tiles in living rooms etc. Some wooden floors may be laid “floating” without bonding to the substrate. Others need to be bonded. It is therefore desirable to find a method for covering a substrate where the dampness from the concrete substrate is not affecting wooden floors which require to be bonded to the substrate.
With a “substrate” or “concrete substrate” it is here meant floors made of light expanded clay aggregate concrete and lightweight concrete, plaster based floors, floating floors, floating floors screed or flooring substitute, generally all floors which have the feature of curing or hardening by using water.
Different types of primer or adhesive are commonly used to bond wooden floors to concrete substrates. However, it has been seen that this may result in problems.
The object of the present invention is therefore to present a method for covering of a substrate with wooden floor coverings bonded to the substrate where the wooden floor or parquet or parquet strips are not in contact with or affected by humidity in the concrete floor underneath.